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Apple has released a second iOS 8.4.1 beta to developers. Featuring a build number of 12H318, this second release, like the first, provides no release notes, and likely simply addresses unresolved issues with Apple Music and other features from last month’s iOS 8.4 release. The latest build has not yet appeared for direct download on the Apple Developer site; it is currently only available as an over-the-air update to those running the first iOS 8.4.1 beta released two weeks ago,

Apple has released the second public betas of iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan, corresponding to the fourth developer beta released earlier this week. Originally announced at WWDC, the public beta of iOS 9 allows non-developers to preview an early version of iOS 9 prior to the final release of a stable version in the fall. Users who have already signed up on the Apple Beta Website should be able to log in and download the new versions now; users who haven’t signed up can do so at the same site.

After quietly dropping Home Sharing in iOS 8.4 and later tweeting that it would be working to bring it back in iOS 9, it appears that Apple has taken at least a partial step in this direction. iOS 9 beta 4, released earlier today, returns the Home Sharing option under Music in the iOS 9 Settings app, although the feature doesn’t yet appear to yet be implemented in the actual Music app. At this point, it remains unclear exactly how Home Sharing will be implemented in the new Music app and how it will interact with Apple Music and iCloud Music Library, but the appearance of this option in the latest beta suggests that Apple is at least working to address the omission.

Popular email provider FastMail has announced that it is now offering full support for push email in the native iOS Mail app. While, like many other email providers, FastMail had previously released a dedicated iOS app for its service, it is the first third-party email provider to implement native push e-mail in the built-in iOS Mail app since MobileMe (now iCloud) and Yahoo Mail first introduced the capability in 2008. However, while iCloud only provides the pushing of new messages, FastMail’s implementation goes beyond this, pushing out updates for any changes to the user’s mailbox or other folders, so that the iOS Mail client gets updated instantly when messages are read, deleted, or moved using other devices. FastMail indicates that the new feature is automatically enabled for all accounts on its service and doesn’t require any special configuration on the iOS device; existing FastMail users should simply begin seeing e-mail updates pushed to their devices, and new users can setup their FastMail account in the iOS Mail app in the same way as any other generic IMAP account.

Apple has released the fourth developer beta of iOS 9. Featuring a build number of 13A4305g, the fourth iOS 9 beta lacks specific release notes, but likely continues to focus on improving the stability and reliability of the new features in the operating system. A new watchOS beta with a build number of 13S5305d has also been posted, which can be installed via a configuration profile that requires the corresponding iOS 9 beta to be installed, along with new betas of Xcode 7 and Apple Configurator.

A newly introduced technology may soon make the dedicated fingerprint scanner in the iPhone’s home button obsolete, as Sonovation announced that it has created ultrasonic biometric sensors capable of reading fingerprints through Corning’s Gorilla Glass. Rumors have circulated about Apple looking to do away with the home button, and Sonovation claims to have developed the technology to make such a move possible — it’s unknown how far along Apple may be in developing its own version of such a method. Sonovation CTO Rainer Schmitt says the new scanners — bonded directly onto the glass display material — are “well suited for through-the-glass fingerprinting and specifically architected to deliver advanced security and ease-of-integration into mobile and IoT devices.” The company didn’t provide much in the way of details about how the new scanner works, but it claims 3D scanning can take place even when a finger is wet, dirty or oily without compromising accuracy. [via The Next Web]

Following up on this morning’s unboxing and comparison gallery of the sixth-generation iPod touch, we now have a comparison of the additional colors of the new iPod touch, iPod nano, and iPod shuffle below. Unlike the sixth-generation iPod touch, the traditional iPod models remain identical to the previous versions other than the color changes, with the seventh-generation nano receiving its last update in 2012, and the fourth-generation shuffle having not received a functional update since 2010. The new pink color is a bit more vibrant when compared to the iPod shuffle’s last pink color, which seems a bit more salmon-colored in comparison. The blue on the new iPod touch is a darker, more traditional blue than that found on the iPod touch 5G. We’ve also got shots of the iPod nano in gold, as well as comparisons between past and current iPod blues and pinks.

We’ve gotten our hands on the new sixth-generation iPod touch and have posted an unboxing and comparison gallery below, highlighting the contents of the iPod touch packaging along with differences between this new gold iPod touch and the previous iPod touch. The body of the new iPod touch 6G is the same as the prior generation, with one exception — the metal circle on the back of the iPod made for the “iPod touch loop” wrist strap (seen in some incarnations of the iPod touch 5G) is gone, along with the touch loop itself. You’ll also see a comparison shot between the gold iPod touch and the gold iPhone 6 Plus. We’ll be posting another new iPod photo gallery later today.

iFixit has posted its teardown of the sixth-generation iPod touch, revealing a few minor details and confirming Apple’s published specifications for the new device. The most significant new detail is that the device packs in a 3.83 V, 3.99 Wh battery rated at 1043 mAh – a step up from the 3.7 V/3.8 Wh/1030 mAh rated battery included in the last generation. Since Apple advertises the same battery performance specs, the larger battery is likely required to achieve this while powering the significantly more energy-hungry A8 processor. A comparison of the camera from the iPhone 6 reveals that, as highlighted in Apple’s specs, the iPod touch lacks the sapphire crystal lens cover, auto-image stabilization and larger ƒ/2.2 aperture of the current iPhone models; the iPod touch comes in with an ƒ/2.4 aperture. The report also highlights the lack of a Touch ID sensor as a key distinction compared to current iPhone and iPod models, but notes that it’s a positive for repairability, as it avoids the need to have a button paired with the device’s processor.

A new iOS phishing scam has been discovered that attempts to extort money from iPhone and iPad users by deceiving them into believing that their device has been compromised. As reported by the New York Daily News and The Telegraph, a number of iOS device users in both the U.S. and U.K. have encountered the scam, which presents a pop-up message in Safari advising them that their device has crashed for reasons such as a “third-party application in yourphone” or “unwanted websites visit” [sic] and advising them to call a number that in some cases is identified as Apple technical support. After calling the number, users are being asked to pay amounts ranging from $19 to $80 to fix the issue. The differing pop-up messages suggests that there may more than one group exploiting the issue. While this sort of scam has plagued desktop browsers for years, it has only recently begun affecting iOS users; some more isolated instances were reported late last year, although the scams appear to have resurfaced more actively over the past few days, and this the first time they have been reported in the U.K.

The issue can be avoided by ensuring that pop-ups are blocked in the Safari browser by enabling Safari, Block Pop-ups in the iOS Settings app. However, users who are already experiencing the issue will need to enable Airplane Mode to disable their Internet connection and then use the Clear History and Website Data option under the Safari settings. An Apple support document provides more guidance on securing Safari.

Some initial benchmarks on the new iPod touch run by TechCrunch reveal that the A8 CPU in the new model appears to be running at 1.10 GHz per core, slightly slower than the iPhone 6’s A8, which clocks in at 1.39 GHz. The report also notes Geekbench scores at 1379 and 2440 out of the box, and suggests that the processor is likely under-clocked to allow for optimal battery life while sporting a smaller battery than the larger iPhone models.

Apple has rolled out its first major updates to the iPod since 2012, updating the iPod touch and adding new colors for the iPod nano and iPod shuffle. The new iPod touch has the same 4-inch screen size as its predecessor, but has also received a major iSight camera upgrade to 8MP to keep up with cameras in the iPhone 6 and iPad Air 2. The A8 64-bit chip will make for better speed in apps and improved graphics for gaming, while the addition of the M8 motion coprocessor from the iPhone will let the device track steps and other fitness-related information. Wireless capabilities also now include 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.1.The new iPod touch will likely come pre-loaded with iOS 8.4 and Apple Music, strengthening Apple’s push to get its new streaming service into as many hands as possible, and also features a 128GB model priced at $399, in addition to the 16GB, 32GB and 64GB versions, priced at $199, $249, and $299 respectively.

The updated iPod nano and iPod shuffle don’t get any internal improvements, but add new dark blue, pink and gold color options that are also available on the new iPod touch.

Following the general release of iOS 8.4 to the public at the end of June, Apple has now released an iOS 8.4.1 beta to developers. The new beta features a build number of 12H304 with no release notes provided, although it seems likely that it addresses issues with Apple Music similar to yesterday’s iTunes 12.2.1 update along with any other new or unresolved issues from the iOS 8.4 public release.

A recent rumor about new upcoming iPods seems to have picked up more steam, with French site iGen.fr claiming Apple will introduce new iPods early next week, possibly on Tuesday, July 14. Speculation first popped up when iTunes 12.2 had images of iPods in heretofore unseen colors, such as a dark blue iPod touch — that iPod touch in question notably shows a “Tuesday 14” date. It’s believed that while iPod nano and iPod shuffle may only get new color options, the iPod touch may be in line for a more noteworthy update, featuring an upgrade to a 64-bit processor.

Apple has released the public beta of iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan in its new iOS Public Beta program that began earlier this year. Originally announced at WWDC, the public beta of iOS 9 will allow non-developers to preview an early version of iOS 9 prior to the final release of a stable version in the fall. Users who have already signed up on the Apple Beta Website should be able to log in and download the new versions now; users who haven’t signed up can do so at the same site.

As expected, Apple has released a third beta of iOS 9 to developers, adding full support for Apple Music, which debuted last week with the release of iOS 8.4. Featuring a build number of 13A4293f, the third iOS 9 beta also includes a number of under-the-hood improvements from the second beta, focusing on improving the stability and reliability of the new features in the operating system. A new watchOS beta with a build number of 13S5293f has also been posted, which can be installed via a configuration profile that requires the corresponding iOS 9 beta to be installed.

A week after Apple quietly dropped the popular Home Sharing feature from the Music app in iOS 8.4, Senior VP of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue has promised the company is “working to have Home Sharing in iOS 9.” In a tweet, Cue confirmed that Apple is trying to bring back the missing feature, which allows an iOS device to stream music from a computer running iTunes on a local Wi-Fi network. With Home Sharing going missing just as Apple Music debuted, some have speculated that the feature was removed because it competed with the new streaming service and the company’s paid iTunes Match and iCloud Music Library options. Home Sharing is still available in the Videos app, and other than Cue’s tweet, Apple hasn’t hasn’t commented on the change.

A new iOS 9 beta will be arriving “early next week,” according to a tweet from Apple SVP of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue. Cue was responding to another tweet asking why Apple didn’t release Apple Music to developers — presumably, the upcoming third iOS 9 beta will contain Apple Music. Apple just released the second iOS 9 beta last week, alongside its watchOS 2 beta for Apple Watch.

Apple has released iOS 8.4, and with it, Apple Music makes its much-anticipated debut within the redesigned Music app. Apple Music’s DJ-curated Beats 1 station will begin broadcasting at 12 p.m. Eastern time. The full scope of Apple Music features will eventually cost $10/month, but all the features are available to users free of charge for the first three months. iOS 8.4 also includes iBooks improvements and bug fixes.

Apple has already begun pushing out tips specific to iOS 9 in the second iOS 9 beta released yesterday. The built-in Tips app, which first appeared last year in the fourth iOS 8 beta, provides push-based tips to help illustrate useful features specific to Apple’s latest mobile operating system. So far, two iOS 9 specific tips have appeared in the latest beta, the first explaining how users can now search for a player or team to get the latest sports scores, and the second outlining the new scrubber in the iOS 9 Photos app that can be used to quickly compare pictures. Additional iOS 9 tips will likely appear as the iOS beta cycle continues, which will provide a ready-to-go collection of tips in the app by the time iOS 9 is released to the public in the fall.